Definitely great news to get this confirmed for next year. The Rebel troops have really been lacking in attention, and its nice to hear that we will hopefully be getting a couple (hopefully "ultimate" versions) in the next couple years. I know they are some of my most wanted figures at this point, and hopefully Hasbro knows they really need to knock them out of the park after the long wait (and fairly crappy previous versions of these figures).

I do not think it's Needa, I think it's Piett. Hasbro said: "an upgraded officer (although he will be named, and not generic)". They confirmed an upgraded officer, they never made Needa. That leads me to believe it's Piett.

I sorta took the "upgraded" comment to mean compared to the sculpt of past officers as opposed to a direct comparison by way of a character resculpt, but either way I'm excited! Getting another Ugnaught is great; too bad only one (better accessories then). I'm really not worried about the quality of the upcoming Hoth trooper because recent new sculpts have been terrific.